CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The term "mob rule" has been tossed around a lot since the toppling of the Confederate monument, Silent Sam, on UNC-Chapel Hill's campus Monday. But what does this phrase mean?
- The term "mob rule" has been tossed around a lot since Silent Sam was pulled down by protesters.
- Many are unsure of what the phrase means.
- The term is also referred to as an "ochlocracy."
The Collins English Dictionary defines "mob rule" as "The fact or state of large groups of people acting without the consent of the government, authorities."
RELATED: A timeline and history of the Silent Sam controversy
In a joint statement from UNC System Board Chair Harry Smith and UNC System President Margaret Spellings, the pair responded to the destruction saying, "We are a nation of laws—and mob rule and the intentional destruction of public property will not be tolerated.”
This type of rule is also commonly called an "ochlocracy," which Webster's Dictionary defines as "a government by the mob."